Cushion.



No. 737,009. PATDNTED 1100.25. 1903. J. H. DONALDSON.

CUSHION..-

APPLIoATIoN FILED 1120.24. 1001.

N0 MODEL.

" ID H5525- IME@ YN: Noms PETERS co, m 11911040.. wlsmNeToN. D. c.

Patented August 25, 1903.

PATENT OEEICE.

JAMES H. DONALDSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CUSHION.

SPECIFICATION forming part f Letters Patent N0. 737,089, dated August 25, i903.

Application led December 24, 1901,l Serial No. 87.123. (No model.)

and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and the 1o letters of reference marked thereon, which' form a part of this specification. l

This invention relates to an improvement in cushions, and is shown more particularly embodied in a cushion for car-seats, though I obviously the invention may be embodied in a .cushion or a mattress for any desired pur-* pose.

In many of the cushions heretofore devised it has been difficult to providea construction,

2o that will retain its original form during a' period of continued use, and it has generally been true that the cushions used for car-seats soon get out of order through the breakage or detachment of springs or otherwise, there- 2 5 by necessitating expensive repairs. In most of the constructionsheretofore devisedsuch breaking or detachment of a spring from the remaining springs forming the cushion has been very difcult to repair without removing the upholstery, thus entailing considerable expense.

The object of my invention is to provide a cushion of great resiliency and great strength adapted to withstand Without serious injury 35 the rough usage to which car-cushions are usually subjected and so constructed that in the event of injury or damage to a spring or springs the same may be readily removed and another replaced or repaired by one not spe- 4o cially skilled in upholstering and without disturbing the upholstery.

The invention consists of the matters hereinafter described, and ymore fully pointed out and defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view, partly broken away to illustrate wthe construction. Fig. 2is a transverse section of the cushion. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detailillustrating the m'eans'for attaching the springs 5o together. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail illustrating the serving of the ends inl longitudiembodied in a car-seat cushion.

Fig. 5 isa detail similar to Fig. 8 and illustrates means for detachably securing the springs to the longitudinal strips.

In said drawings my invention is shown A bottom frame is provided for the cushion consisting of longitudinal side members A and transverse end members a, which may be of wood or metal, as preferred, and are rigidly sel'cured together, forming a` rectangular baseframe. Extending transversely across said frame and secured at their ends on the side members A are the transverse carrying-strips B, which may be of any .desired material and,

sired number of .said carrying-strips B may be provided and the same maybe of any desired width. Spiral springs, herein shown as conical, but approximately rectangular at the larger end, are secured on the transverse members, as indicated in Figs. l and2, with the larger or square end uppermost and-having the smaller ends of the same secured on said carrying-strips by passing the end of the wire forming the spring through an aperture in the carrying strip. The wid th of the square portion of said springs is such that a given number of the same secured in contact with each other, as indicated in Fig. l, provide a desired width of cushion. Over the if preferred, may be fiat springs. Any desquare upturned ends of Ysaid springs is se cured the sheet of fabric D, and thin resilient strips E, preferably of steel, are laid thereon,extendinglongitudinally of the cushion, as shown in Fig. l, and lcovering the lines of contact vof said springs with each` other. At each end'of the cushion a corresponding resilient` strip e is secured, which restsupon the end's'o'fthe longitudinal strips E, Yas s hown'in Figs. 1 and 4i. Overthe structure thus formed is stretched the sheet of fabric D', which entirely covers the top of the same and extends down over the sides and -ends and is drawn downv and permanently secured on the base-frame by nailing or the like, -as shown'in- Fig. 2,'thereby exerting a sufcient tension on the springs to y bring the same into alinement. After securing said covering fabric, as described, staples of wires d, as shown, are passed upwardly through the fabric D and D, inclosing and engaging together when closed down the adjacent meeting portions of the tops of the springs and the superposed longitudinal strip E. The ends of the strip E and the transverse strip e are permanently secured together by serving the same preferably with a strip of sheet metal, (indicated by e,) the ends of which are bent over and engages over the fabrics and incloses the end of each longitudinal strip and the adjacent portion of the transverse strips c, as shown in Fig. 4, and is rigidly and permanently secured thereon by means of a wire or staple @2. The ends of said strip e are then turned backwardly, as shown in Fig. 4, thereby preventing the withdrawal of the serving from the longitudinal and transverse strips. The spring-cushion thus formed-is then upholstered in the usual or any desired manner, the covering for said upholstery being preferably carried down and secured upon the base-frame.

The operation is as follows: The base-frame forms a rigid and permanent support for the springs, acting to retain the same at all times in operative position. The tops of said springs being square admit of lying in close contact with each other and of being permanently attached to each other, as described, thus forming a continuous support for the entire width of the cushion for any weight that may be placed thereon. The longitudinal strips E being preferably of steel and of considerable resiliency act, together with said springs, to increase the resiliency of the cushion and serve as a resilient tie between adjacent transverse lines of springs, thereby distributing or diusing the strain of any superposed weight over the entire surface of the cushion. The transverse strips e, while in no wise interferfering with the resiliency of the cushion, act to rigidly bind the longitudinal strips t0- gether and aid in distributing the strain on the springs. Obviously the strain being broughtequally on all the springs of the cushion there is much less liability to breakage than in cushions as heretofore constructed. Should, however, any spring be injured, broken, or displaced, the same may be removed and a new one substituted therefor by inverting the cushion, releasing the staples d which engage that particular spring, substituting a new spring, and resecuring the same in position by means of the staples dor by wiring the same together, as indicated in Fig. 5, in which event a piece of wire d is passed around the meeting parts of adjacent springs and the longitudinal strips and the ends thereof twisted together below the tops of the springs.

While a car-seat cushion has been illustrated and described, I do not desire to be restricted to seat-cushions only, inasmuch as my invention is obviously applicable to the construction of cushions of any kind or in making spring-mattresses for beds or the like.

Obviously many details of construction may be modified without departing from the principle of this invention.

I claim as my inventionl. In a cushion the combination with a rigid base-frame of transverse carrying-strips secured thereon, a plurality of conical coiled springs having their larger ends approximately rectangular, the lower and' smaller ends of said springs engaged in said carrying-strips, said springs being arranged in series transversely of the cushion and having -the adjacent sides at their upper ends permanently secured together, a flexible cover over said springs and secured to the baseframe, a plurality of longitudinal leaf-springs on said cover and overlapping the joints between said coiled springs and a layer of flexible material covering said leaf-springs and also secured to the base-frame.

2. In a cushion the combination with a rigid base-frame, of carrying-strips engaged thereon, a plurality of coiled springs larger at one end than at the other rigidly attached to said strips by their smaller end and the larger end thereof being approximately rectangular in shape, a fabric covering the coiled springs, a plurality of leaf-sprin gs resting on said fabric and arrangedlongitudinally and covering the joints between said coiled springs and permanentlyY secured thereon by wire clips which also secure the coiled springs each to each, transverse resilient strips engaging the ends of said leaf-springs, a metallic binding engaging the same together, a sheet of fabric covering the spring structure thus formed and an upholstered cushion thereon the covering thereof engaging at its margins on the base-frame.

3. In a device of the class described the combination with a rigid base-frame, of carryingstrips secured thereto, a plurality of spiral springs arranged in parallel rows, the upper ends of said springs being rectangular in shape and the adjacent sides thereof secured together, a plurality of longitudinal leafsprings intermediate two sheets of flexible material covering said spiral springs and rigidly secured thereto by means of wires or the like, the ends of which are secured to be accessible from the under side of the cushion, leafsprings extending across the ends of the longitudinal springs and a metallic binding engaging around and rigidly securing the transverse and longitudinal leaf-springs together.

4. In a cushion, a rigid frame, resilient carrying-strips permanently secured thereon, spiral springs attached to said strips having their larger and upper ends rectangular in form and arranged in rows transversely of said cushion and having their adjacent sides removably fastened together, a plurality of leaf-springs arranged longitudinally of said cushion removably fastened to the contact edges of said spiral springs, sheets of flexible material above and below said leaf-springs ICO IIO

adapted to hold the spiral springs in eiline` In witness whereof I have hereunto subment, flexible strips arranged transversely of scribed my name in `the presence of two sub- 1o the ends of said leaf-springs, metallic bindscribing Witnesses.

ing-strips claspinfr longitudinally* of the ends of the leaf-springs and transversely of the JAMES H DONALDSON contact parts of said strips and staples or the In presence oflike adapted to hold said binding-strips in C. W. HILLS,

locking position. L. J. DELsoN. 

